Church Brew Works... Not very good. (Pittsburgh, Connellsville: food, area, dining)

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by pman

so long as he's comfortable leaving money on the table, but unless he is tired of winning awards, they were making good beer

Church Brew Works earns national recognition | On The Rocks | Pittsburgh City Paper
looks like this guy returned in 2011 and in my experience turned what was exactly what you describe (mediocre brewpub with decent pizza) into one with decent pizza and very good beer but in restaurants, things can change quickly. my visit was during beer week so perhaps mr. sloan was busy. they've also expanded sales I believe.


Read more: Church Brew Works is national Large Brewpub of Year - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I am not saying that don't care about beer. They obviously do. Although some people go there just for the beer, I bet, and this is guess, most go there for the overall experience.

They are obviously doing something right. It has been around for a long time.

[fleetiebelle]

This is the kind of thing Yelp was built on. One person has a less-than-steller experience, doesn't give the establishment a chance to rectify it and doesn't chalk it up to one guy having an off day at his service job, and then complains on the internet that the place sucks and they'll never go back. Okay, thanks.

[sealie]

1. I expect the handful of people who will now refuse to darken the doorway will get the weekend wait time down to 40-50 minutes during bar rush. If I were the owner I would beg for mercy.
2. I find that if you just take Curtis complaining about some minor little thing as being, like a partly cloudly day, part of the natural order of things, and don't try to fight it or reason with it, things proceed a lot more smoothly. He's a miserable man who never has anything nice to say but is first in line to complain that other people are complaining or being rude. This will never change. It's not worth the time. Focus on interacting with people who are not already preprogrammed for negativity.

[SammyKhalifa]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Church Brew Works is really average food and beer at an inflated place due to the awesome setting. Pretty much sums the place up. North Country has good food and their beer is decent. Better craft beer can be found all over the metro however.

I'm surprised by North Country's sudden popularity, a lot of people have been talking about it and they're even going to start canning their beers to distribute. Guess word of mouth finally traveled here after years and years.

To be fair I have never been there as a destination, but as a stop when I'm heading up 79. It didn't hurt that they filled growlers.

Still, I'm glad they're doing well. They seem pretty nice, and it's a good place.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

The place was pretty dead on a Wednesday night. I have had most all their beers already. I guess it was tough to go there after where I have been. I have been known to tip 50% of the service was outstanding, but 20% or so is my norm. Been a bartender before, so ex-bartenders are usually great people to have sitting at your bar.

Last place I was a bartender one of the jobs was taking togo orders on the phone and preparing them. That was a horrible situation because I would be on the phone looking at some empty glasses on the bar. That move saved the bar/restaurant money, but at what expense? Not just my tip, but people being upset because they had to wait.

Anyway, I can't believe this thread took off. The Church is okay for what it is, but it rubbed me the wrong way. Probably shouldn't have posted anything about it. Ah well, maybe it could be closed or removed. Who knows? Obviously Lobick's posts should be removed since they are just more personal attacks, which is what he is all about 100% of the time. Gets old.

What you tip is irrelevant and unless you have tended bar at a place that seats nearly 400 people you probably don't grasp the logistical pressure of working there.

You are right though, the place is merely ok for what it is.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

What you tip is irrelevant....

Unless you're a regular or have a shirt that says "I tip up to 50% for exceptional service," how are they to know?

[gg]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

What you tip is irrelevant and unless you have tended bar at a place that seats nearly 400 people you probably don't grasp the logistical pressure of working there.

You are right though, the place is merely ok for what it is.

The last place I tended held about 375 people and I owned a bar. Nuff said.

[villageidiot1]

My family recently had a graduation dinner there and we had a good experience. They were somewhat hesitant about the size of our group (over 20 people) and wanted to limit our menu options. They eventually relented and we were able to order from both menus. We had excellent service even considering the size of the group. Our main waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the beer and we had several of the beer samplers.

I found their menu to be somewhat unusual. I don't care for pierogies or ordering meatloaf when I go out to a restaurant. I thought the steak was overpriced. My wife ordered the jambalaya, which I think was $19 and way overpriced. I ended up ordering their pizza, which was excellent. I would recommend this place with the caveat that you stick to the pub menu.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Lobick

I've found professional bartenders to be a pretty good judge of character. That he blew you off as not worth his time seems to say more about you than him...to me at least.

Doesn't sound particularly "professional" to me.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Good idea, but I looked on the art website and there is one metalsmith. He is from Connellsville, which would be okay, but he doesn't advertise railings. Ah, I might look at people in Ohio for the job.

Check here for ornamental iron in Western PA:

Ornamental Iron / Curtain Wall | Iron Workers Local Union No. 3 | Pittsburgh and Erie Areas
http://iwlocal3.com/files/IW_PocketD...Bookmarked.pdf